AUSTIN, Texas — The mayors of nine Texas cities sent a letter to Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday, asking for the power to enforce mask wearing in their cities.
The letter was sent by the mayors of Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Arlington, Plano and Grand Prairie and asked for the authority to set rules and regulations for the use of face coverings in public.
Abbott signed an executive order on April 28 that barred cities and counties from enforcing mask wearing with penalties such as fines. He modified an executive order on May 7 and said local officials could not arrest someone for violations of COVID-19 emergency declarations.
“A one-size-fits-all approach is not the best option,” the letter said. “We should trust local officials to make informed choices about health policy. And if mayors are given the opportunity to require face coverings, we believe our cities will be ready to help reduce the spread of this disease.”
The letter did not ask that Abbott make mandate mask wearing statewide, but only that he allows cities to enforce the wearing of face coverings in public places were social distancing is difficult.
